Carrying case for sewing machines

ABSTRACT

A portable sewing machine carrying case including a cover within which a sewing machine may be secured. An accessory tray and a lid for the accessory tray are each oriented atop the carrying case cover by a handle which projects upwardly from the carrying case cover through apertures in the tray and lid. The lid is additionally formed with depending fingers which engage the sidewalls of the carrying case cover to orient the lid in closed position. The fingers depending from the lid are inturned so that the lid, when removed from atop the carrying case cover, may be hung by the inturned fingers alongside the carrying case cover sidewall.

[ 51 Aug. 1,1972

United States Patent Peets [54] CARRYING CASE FOR SEWING 3,305,076 2/1967 F1eenor.....................312/244 X MACHINES Primary Examiner-Paul R. Gilham [72] Inventor Robert Peas watchung Attorney-Marshall J. Breen, Chester A. Williams, Jr. [73] Assignee: The Singer Company, New York, and Robert E. Smith [22] Filed: Jan. 28, 1971 ABSTRACT pp No no 434 A portable sewing machine carrying case including a a on cover within which a sewing machine may be secured. An accessory tray and a lid for the accessory tray are each oriented atop the carrying case cover by a handle which projects upwardly from the carrying case cover through apertures in the tray and lid. The lid is additionally formed with depending fingers which engage the sidewalls of the carrying case cover to orient the 42 MNC /5 29% l 3 4 8 N 4 mm I 1 J2 m 00 n 0 "a2 n l m 3 ".r m m L W i C 0 d Std I I- U.mF 1. 2 00 555 [[1 [56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS lid in closed position. The fingers depending from the lid are inturned so that the lid, when removed from atop the carrying case cover, may be hung by the inturned fingers alongside the carrying case cover sidewall.

1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTED 1 B72 mvv a II I III I] 1/ [III IIIIIII INVENTOR. S. Peets Robert ORNEY 1 CARRYING CASE FOR SEWING MACHINES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Prior portable sewing machine carrying cases which have included provision for storage of accessories, such as the US. Pat. No. 1,875,177, Aug. 30, 1932 of Osann et al. and US. Pat. No. 3,117,391, Jan. 14, 1964 of H. Gugelot et al., require expensive hardware, hinges, and fastenings which are not only costly to manufacture but also involve time and expense in assembly.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide for accessory storage in a portable sewing machine carrying case by the provision of a lift-off accessory tray with a lift-off lid which may be. accommodated securely without fastening hardware atop the carrying case cover. The above and additional objects of this invention are attained by the provision of a recess in the top of the carrying case cover with means defining a handle located within the recess and projecting upwardly from the cover. Both the accessory tray and the lid for the tray are formed with apertures snugly embracing the handle means to orient the tray and lid with respect to the recess in the carrying case cover.

The lid may also be formed with projecting fingers to engage the carrying case cover when the lid is in closed position additionally to orient the lid and to stabilize the sidewalls of the recess in the carrying case cover.

It is a further feature of this invention that the projecting fingers on the lid may be inturned so that when the lid is lifted ofi the accessory tray it may be hung by the inturned fingers alongside a carrying case cover sidewall.

With the above and additional objects and advantages in view as will hereinafter appear, this invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing of a preferred embodiment in which:

FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of a sewing machine carrying case having this invention applied thereto, with the lid in closed position,

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross sectional view taken through the carrying case of FIG. 1, showing in phantom lines a sewing machine stored therein,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the sewing machine carrying case of FIG. 1 with the accessory tray and lid removed and the lid stored alongside the carrying case cover, and

FIG. 4 is a composite perspective view of the carrying case cover, the accessory tray, and the lid.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawing, the sewing machine carrying case in which this invention is shown includes a cover indicated generally at 11 which may be placed over a sewing machine supporting base 12 and detachably secured thereto at each end by a hasp 13 of which one is shown in FIGS. 1 and 3. A sewing machine, as indicated in phantom lines in FIG. 2 at 14, may be secured by any known means in the base 12 and will be enclosed and protected by the cover 11 when the cover is placed on the base.

The cover 11 is formed with sidewalls which, at

the bottom, are dimensioned as shown in FIG. 2, so as to fit over the sides of the sewing machine supporting base when the cover is placed thereon. At the top, the

Y apt to become rnislaid or damaged.

sidewalls of the. cover are joined below the upper edges 21 thereof by a partition 22 which divides the carrying case cover 11 into a shallow, upwardly open compartment 23 in which accessories may be stored, and a large, downwardly opening sewing machine accommodating compartment 24.

Projecting upwardly from the partition 22 at a location midway between the sidewalls 20 is a rectangular slightly truncated projection 30. Near each extremity on top of the projection is formed a further upwardly projecting block 31 which is slightly narrower than the top of the projection 30. A hand grip 32 is secured to the blocks 31. The projection 30, blocks 31, and hand grip 32 together define a handle which, because of the central location of the projection 30 with respect to the center of gravity of the carrying case, and also with respect to the cover 11 when separated from the base, will facilitate handling thereof.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4, an accessory accommodating tray 40 is provided which fits into the accessory compartment 23 in the carrying case cover. The tray 40 is formed with raised sidewalls 41 and with dividers 42 to define separate compartments in which difierent types of sewing accessories may be isolated. The tray 40 if formed with a central aperture 43 which is bordered by a raised rib 44. The rib 44 is formed complemental to the truncated projection 30 which, being noncircular in shape, serves to orient the accessory tray in the compartment 23.

For closing the accessory tray 40, a detachable lid 50 is provided which may selectively be placed on, or lifted off, the top of the carrying case cover 11. The lid is provided with a shallow central depression 51 across which an aperture 52 is formed. The aperture is made wide enough to span the hand grip 32 and the blocks 31 but, preferably, is not as wide as the projection 30. The aperture 52 in cooperation with the blocks 31 of the projection thus serves to orient the lid 50 with respect to the carrying case sidewalls when the lid is placed on top of the carrying case cover. Alongside the aperture 52, the lid may be formed with upstanding tabs 53 which extend alongside the hand grip 32 when the lid is in place on the cover to augment the orientation of the lid.

The shallow depression 51 provides not only for clearance for the hand of a person grasping the hand grip 32 when the lid is in place, but also closely overlies the top of the projection 30 to provide vertical support for the lid when it is in place on the carrying case cover.

Projecting downwardly beneath each corner of the lid is a finger 60 which, as shown on the right-hand side of FIG. 2, extends within the upper edge 21 of the carrying case cover sidewall when the lid 50 is placed on the cover further to orient the lid on the cover. Each of the fingers 60 is formed with an inturned hook-shaped extremity 61 so that when the lid is lifted off the cover, it may be stored conveniently as shown in FIG. 3 by engaging the two hooked fingers along one edge of the lid over the upper edge 21 of one sidewall of the cover so that the lid will hang outside the sidewall which is a convenient temporary position in which the lid is not Between the fingers 60, additional downwardly extending tabs may be formed on the lid to engage the interior of the carrying case sidewalls when the lid is in closed position, as shown in the left-hand side of FIG. 2. The fingers 60 and tabs 70 not only orient the lidin closed position but also stabilize and stiffen the carrying case sidewalls.

Having set forth the nature of this invention, what is claimed herein is:

1. A carrying case for a portable sewing machine includinga cover adapted to be. placed over a sewing machine and including sidewalls and a partition joining said sidewalls first to define beneath said partition a downwardly open sewing machine accommodating compartment, and second to define above said partition an upwardly open accessory accormnodating compartment, a non-circular handle projecting from said partition into said accessory accommodating compartment, a removable accessory carrying tray insertable into said accessory accommodating compartment, said accessory carrying tray being free of fastening means with respect to said cover and formed with an aperture snugly embracing said non-circular handle, a detachable lid adapted to close said accessory accommodating compartment, said lid being free of fastening means with respect to said cover and formed with a clearance aperture through which said noncircular handle extends when said lid is placed over said accessory accommodating compartment. 

1. A carrying case for a portable sewing machine including a cover adapted to be placed over a sewing machine and including sidewalls and a partition joining said sidewalls first to define beneath said partition a downwardly open sewing machine accommodating compartment, and second to define above said partition an upwardly open accessory accommodating compartment, a non-circular handle projecting from said partition into said accessory accommodating compartment, a removable accessory carrying tray insertable into said accessory accommodating compartment, said accessory carrying tray being free of fastening means with respect to said cover and formed with an aperture snugly embracing said non-circular handle, a detachable lid adapted to close said accessory accommodating compartment, said lid being free of fastening means with respect to said cover and formed with a clearance aperture through which said non-circular handle extends when said lid is placed over said accessory accommodating compartment. 